A number of single-player games have been developed that can be played in conjunction with standard consumer electronics, such as DVD players, stereo equipment, video recorders, media centers, DVD recorders, and other systems whose primary function is not gaming. For example, some DVD movies include short trivia games, mazes, or other simple games as features on their discs. Moreover, a number of board games have been developed that are supplemented by features displayed on standard consumer electronics equipment. For example, Scenelt? is a board game that comes with a DVD containing scenes from popular movies and television programs. During the game, players watch scenes from the DVD and take turns trying to identify the shows being played. The consumer electronics equipment is used to enhance gaming and entertainment environments.
One of the major drawbacks to current game systems using standard consumer electronics is that they do not allow multiple players to concurrently interact with them in any substantive way within the context of a multi-player game. For example, in the game Scenelt? the DVD player only shows program clips. The DVD portion of the game provides no other meaningful action in the game. This is in spite of the popularity and low cost of the standard consumer electronics DVD player and its typical location in the home.
The large installed base of standard consumer electronics DVD players should make the DVD player device an attractive choice for game developers. But, currently, the inability to have truly interactive multiple-player games is seen as a hindrance to the large scale acceptance of the standard consumer electronics DVD player as a central game machine in the home.
Thus, there is a need in the art for methods, systems, and apparatuses that provide an environment in which multiple players can play a game using a standard consumer electronic device.